Evan Dunfee Battles Through Stomach Issues to Finish Fifth in 20km Race Walk

PARIS — Just a week before his big moment at the Olympics, Evan Dunfee was dealing with some serious stomach problems that left him hours of vomiting. It was not the kind of lead-up he was hoping for.

Minutes after completing the men’s 20km race walk in a hot Paris, Evan talked to reporters about how he was feeling. He managed to come in fifth place, but admitted that the stomach issues really knocked him off his game. “I feel 100 percent recovered as a normal, functioning human being, but as someone on the verge of trying to get every single ounce out of their body, I was just missing that tiny little bit by the end,” he said.

A specialist in the 50km race walk, Dunfee had previously claimed a bronze medal in that event at the Tokyo Games and just missed the podium in Rio. With the absence of the 50km race walk from the Olympics, he had been focusing on the 20km event.

The race commenced with Evan keeping pace with the lead group for the first 14 laps of the one-kilometre circuit near the Eiffel Tower, cheered on by loud crowds. However, he struggled to keep up the pace when Brazil’s Caio Bonfim surged ahead. Dunfee finished the race in 1 hour, 19 minutes and 16 seconds, just 21 seconds behind Pintado, who took the gold.

“I just kept telling myself, just leave nothing out there, be proud of how I finish. And I did that,” he acknowledged. Despite the intense heat and recent storms that pushed the race start back 30 minutes, Dunfee remained optimistic about his performance. “I love the heat, and my best performances have been in hot conditions,” he remarked.

Trent Stellingwerff, a senior advisor for research and development with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, provided crucial insight into racing in heated environments. He emphasized that Dunfee had been acclimating to the heat during a training camp in Barcelona and was well-prepared with a hydration plan during the event.

After finishing third in the Tokyo 50km race walk, Dunfee wasn’t sure if he’d still be a contender in the 20km event. Initially considering it as a last hurrah, he surprised himself by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in the 10K in 2022, changing his perspective.

In 2023, he set a Canadian record, finishing fourth in the 20km race walk at the World Athletics Championships. “I finally proved to myself that I could be a good 20K walker,” he reflected on that achievement.

Looking ahead, Dunfee expressed eagerness to participate in the 20km event at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. In a shift of focus, he will also be teaming up with Olivia Lundman, whom he coaches, for a mixed two-person marathon relay on August 7.

“I now turn into coach mode,” he shared, excited but aware of the pressure that comes with guiding another athlete. “Not many coaches can say that they have that intimate of a role in determining their athletes’ outcome.”